Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) denied any link to the death of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s ex-manager Disha Salian, two days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named him in the FIR.

“I have never met or known Disha Salian,” said Mr. Thackeray, adding that this is a deliberate, evidence-free attempt to character assassinate him by a few individuals with clear political and personal motives, for almost 6 years.

Taking to X, he said, “Let the official re-investigation proceed without malicious distractions and character assassination for political motives.” 

CBI on Monday registered the case naming Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray, MLA Aaditya Thackeray, and others under sections of law pertaining to murder as well as criminal conspiracy. The FIR filed after Bombay High Court order CBI to file fresh case during the hearing of petition filed by Disha’s father, Satish Salian, alleging lapses by Mumbai Police in the investigation. 

Disha Salian died in 2020, which Mumbai police ruled to be a death by suicide after a fall from the building in Mumbai. Court order marks the third fresh investigation on September 2. 

In 2023, Commissioner of Police, on the state government’s instruction, ordered a fresh probe under Section 174 and turned in a report on April 14, 2026, with death by suicide as the conclusion, and the report was accepted by the Special Executive Magistrate on May 6, 2026. 

The CBI has registered an FIR in connection with the death of Disha Salian, former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, officials said on Monday (September 14, 2026).

Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Salian’s death and pulled up Mumbai Police for failing to register an FIR for six years, observing that its investigation “raises more questions than answers”.

The bench criticised the police for treating the case only as an accidental death for six years and pointed to “glaring discrepancies” in the investigation.

Salian, who had briefly worked as Rajput’s manager, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Mumbai Police had registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the case.

A week later, Rajput was found dead in his apartment on June 14, 2020, triggering speculation about a possible link between the two deaths.

The uproar following Rajput’s death led the Maharashtra government to order a CBI probe into it. The agency subsequently submitted a closure report stating that Rajput died by suicide. The report, however, is yet to be heard by the court concerned.